Milwaukee County, Milwaukee Rat Control Situation:
We live in a middle row home in Milwaukee WI. The homes on both sides of us are empty. One since 2007, and the other last year. My yard is bordered to an old factory that up until last year was also empty for a loooong time. To top it off the empty grass lot that bordered the propertys has recently been turned into a 'community' garden by the local non demonational religous group. We got our home last year in the fall. This summer we put up a small garden box. We keep our yard very clean, have our garbage in sealed cans, and don't leave our dog's ( jack fussier/pug mix) water dish filled unless we are out with him. Needless to say we are extreemly carefull. The only thing we do have is bird feeders. We have a family of cardinals that live in our lilac tree. Well yesterday when I let our dog out I noticed a hole from under our garden box. Naturally I thought it was from one of our local chipmunks that run from the community gardens wall across the yards. I filled it back up thought nothing of it and went on my way. This morning when I went to let our dog out I almost died !!! To my absloute horror there was a full grown RAT running around my yard and back down the hole. I go on the porch and it sticks its head out the hole and watches me as I get a huge shovel to fill the hole with steel mesh rocks and dirt. Needless to say I'm freeked out at the fact of:: 1. There are rats....where there is one you know there are more 2. It was out during the day 3. It wasn't afraid....hell it was almost following me like a dog to see what I was doing !!! I don't want me or my animals injured. Yes I have cats also (main coon/osicats larger than my dog who stay indoors) I have delt with rats when I lived in NYC.....sewer rats in the streets, not in my home. They were aggressive , I wached them kill a puppy. We killed them.I know how to keep them out of a house, how to protect the garbage cans, but with this I'm at a loss. What can I do to keep them out of my yard ???
Milwaukee Rat Control Tip of The Week
Why Do More Rats Live In Urban Areas Than In Wild Areas?
Statistically, more rats are living in urban areas than in the wild. This is simply because urban areas have an abundant availability of food that is easily accessible, compared to the wild where they have to go in search of food before they can find something to eat. Although, rats in the wild are known to live longer simply because they feed on natural foods.
The most dominant species of rats living in urban areas are roof rats and Norway rats. These species of rats have an adaptive feature that allows them to survive in any kind of environment and their rate of reproduction allows them to multiply rapidly in any home they find themselves in.
Apart from the availability of easily accessible food, urban areas have an abundant supply of places to nest and proliferate. In urban areas, there are houses around and each of these houses has attics, walls, roofs, and other hidden places where rats can nest. The search for a place to nest makes takes rats into urban areas that seem to have many good nesting places.
Also, the absence of predators in urban areas makes rats prefer to stay in urban areas than in the wild. In the wild, there is no adequate protection for them, and more than half will be hunted as prey before they even reach maturity.
All of the above reasons clearly show why there are more rats in urban areas than in wild areas. Having realized this, you need to do all you can to prevent them from infesting your home because if they do, they will multiply rapidly within just a short time.
